Type-writing machine.



No. 675,806. Patented Juno 4, l90| J. F. AMES.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

(Lpplicl-tion filed Bab. 16, 1900.)

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(Application filed Feb. 16. 1600.

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J. F. AMES.

TYPE WRITING IflACI-IIIIE.

(Application filed Feb. 16, 1900.) (No llodoI.) 4 Sheen-Shoot 3.

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Patented June 4, l90l.

J. F. AMES.

, TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

(Application filed Feb. 16, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. AMES, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 675,806, dated June 4, 1901. Application fil d February 16, 1900. Serial No. 5,492. (No model-J To (all whom it 7171(01/ concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN F. AMEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented an Improvement in Type-\Vriting Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in type-writing machines; and it is designed to increase the rapidity of work done by such machines and reduce the number of movements necessary by the use of mechanism which enables the writer to print entire words by a single stroke of the key and to correspondingly advance the carriage of the machine a distance equal to the space which is occupied by such word.

The invention consists in the formation of certain words which are most often used in the construction of sentences upon blocks or bodies which carry the whole word and in the union of a plurality of such words upon one block, with means to bring either word into the line, so as to form the impression thereof when the keyis struck. In conjunction with this is employed mechanism by which an additional spacing device is brought into operation, whereby the carriage is advanced a distance equal to the amount of space occupied by the word, which may be two, three, four, or more letters so that the parts will be in position for the use of the next single letter or complete word, as the sentence requires.

The invention also comprises details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine, showing my attachment. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a front view of the additional keys. Fig. 4 is a top view of the rear portion. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the spacing device. Fig. 6 is a similar view at right angles to Fig.5. Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the keys. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of a type-body for the key shown in Fig. '7. Fig. 9 is a detail showing a word-printing-type support and connections between said support and a key-lever. Fig. 10 illustrates a means for operating the roller to enable it to receive the impression of the upper and lower case type.

The invention is here shown as connected with what is known as the Remington typewriter, and the devices employed are necessarily arranged to suit this particular mechanism; butit will be understood that this principle may be applied to all or most of the various forms of type-writer now on the market, with such variations in the particular construction as will adapt the invention to the mechanism employed in such machines, such changes being within the province of any mechanic familiar with the construction of type-writers.

A is the type-writing machine, known as the Remington, to which I have illustrated my invention as applied in the present case.

2 is the carriage, with the usual roller 2', over which the paper passes and against which the impression of the type is made. The carriage is moved from right to left when released after the depression of a key by the usual spring or the like.

By the addition of a certain number of keys or the substitution of such keys for characters now in use upon the machines and which are seldom required I am enabled to use such additional words as I desire to introduce into the apparatus. Thus such words as of, and, the, that, this, &c., which are often repeated in the use of language, are mounted or formed upon a type body or support S, connected with a key-lever by means of a connecting link or part 3, so that when operated by touching a key a whole word will be printed. Forconvenience I find that two or more such words may be mounted upon a single body, with mechanism for shifting the body so as to bring either of the required words into line, so that when the key is struck this word will be imprinted by a single stroke instead of being formed by striking each letter of the word independently.

The depression and raising ofthe usual spacing-bar or the keys of a type-writer, allow the carriage to move a single space for each movement of the key or bar; but in my invention it is necessary to advance the carriage after printing an entire word, as above described, a distance equal to the number of letters in that word and the additional space between the words, and this should be effected by a single stroke in order to complete the economy of time for which the device is designed.

In the present case as I have illustrated my invention the toothed rack-bar 4 is engaged by a pinion 5, mounted upon a horizontally-journaled shaft 8 in the rear upper part of the machine, and this is released, through mechanism to be hereinafter described, by depressing the space-bar or a key, so as to allow the carriage to advance the width of a single letter or space or a plurality of spaces when more than one character is imprinted at a single stroke. In order to thus advance the toothed spacing-rack 4 and the carriage there is in this machine a supplemental ratchet 7, loosely mounted upon the end of the shaft 8 which carries the pinion 5, and this ratchet is rotated and the carriage allowed to advance one or more spaces by devices which will be hereinafter described.

The carriage has the usual spring or equivalent tension device which moves it forward whenever the holding device is released, and the described mechanism acts to alternately release this device to allow the carriage to advance one or more spaces and to again arrest and lock it.

Fixed upon the shaft 8, contiguous to the ratchet 7, is a hollow disk 9, having an interior pawl-and-ratchet IIlQOllftIllSlll which engages with the ratchet 7 when it is turned in one direction, so that when the carriage and spacing rack bar 4 moves forward the rack acts through the pinion and shaft to rotate the ratchet 7 in unison; but after a line has been completed and the carriage is returned to begin another line the supplemental pawl and ratchet allows the pinion-shaft to be revolved in unison with the movement of the carriage without acting upon the ratchet 7. This part is also common to this machine.

In my invention the alternate locking and release of the ratchet 7 to hold the carriage in position during the depression of a key or spacing-bar and to allow it to advance the desired distance between such strokes is effected as follows: Beneath the ratchet 7 is a hollow transversely-movable bar or housing 9, having a channel at one side, through which a rack-bar 10 is slidahle. This rack-bar 10 has a cord connecting with its outer end, passing over a pulley with asulficient weight or equivalent spring to pull it outwardly when it is released from the ratchet, and when the ratchet-wheel 7 is in line with this rack-bar and the teeth engaged the movement of the ratchet caused by the advance of the carriage will pull the rack-bar in the opposite direction as far as the limiting stop or shoulder 1; will allow. The housing is moved transversely, so that the teeth of the ratchet 7 engage with notches 12, formed in the top of the housing, to prevent the ratchet from turning, and it is moved in the opposite direction to allow the slidable rack-bar 10 to engage with the teeth of the ratchet by means of a bell crank-lever 13, the angle of which is fulcrumed. The upwardly-extending .-rm of this lever connects with the housing 9', and the horizontal arm is fixed to a bar 15, which in this machine extends in each direction from this central point of attachment toward the sides of the machine. The ends of this bar 15 are connected by rods 16 with a bar 17, which extends transversely beneath and in close proximity with the key and spacing-bar levers 18, so that whenever any key 20 or the spacing-bar 21 is depressed it will press the bar 17 down, and through its connections it will tilt the bell-crank lever and will thus move the housing 9' transversely. In its normal position this housing lies so that the ratchet-wheel 7 is in engagement with the rack-bar 10, and the pull of the carriagespring, acting through the rack 4, pinion 5, and intermediate ratchet mechanism, will have turned the ratchet-wheel 7 and have pulled the rack-bar l0 toward the right until the stop 14c contacts with a shoulder 22 on the housing, which prevents further movement in that direction. \Vhen by the depression of a key, as above described, the housing is moved forward, it shifts the rack-bar 10 out of the line of the ratchet and brings the notches 12 of the housing into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, thus preventing it from being turned or the carriage from advancing. The rack-bar 10 being released by this movement, the weight connected with it will move it to the left as far as the controlling latch bars or stops 2-) will allow. These stops are side byside in the line of travel of the rackbar 10, and a shoulder 2i on the lower part of the rack-bar contacts with the nearest of these stops. The numberof stops which are withdrawn from the path of the shoulder 2 t determines the distance which the rack-bar moves and the number of spaces through which the carriage moves. The stops 23 may be variously operated to project them into the path of the rack-bar or to withdraw them from it. As shown in the present case, these stops move vertically, and they may be moved successively or a plurality of the stops may be moved in unison. For single spacing none of the stops need be withdrawn, as the construction allows for a single space by the movement of the ordinary spacing-bar or a single character-key. \Vhen the shoulder 21 on the lower part of the rack-bar 10 is drawn by the spring against the first stop 23, the stop 14 on the upper part of the rack-bar should be about one-fourth of an inch from the shoulder or stop 22 on the housing, so that when the key is released and the ratchetwheel engages in the rack it will draw the rack forward until the stop 11 is stopped by the shoulder or stop 22, thereby making the space necessary to print a single letter. A stop 60, located some distance beyond the last of the stops 23, prevents the rack from being withdrawn altogether. When one of the steps 23 is drawn down, the rack-bar will be allowed to move a certain distance, which will usually be an equivalent to two spaces. It the second one is pulled down, it operates the first one in addition to its own movement, thus allowing the rack-bar to advance a correspondingly greater distance. It the third is pulled down, it acts upon the second and through the second upon the first. Each of these movements allows the ratchet-wheel 7, which is at that time engaged with the rack, to turn a distance commensurate with the required movement of the spacer, and thus advances the rack 10 correspondingly.

In order to operate the movable latch bars or stops 23, they are connected by rods 32 with horizontal rods 25, extending beneath the machine from rear to front and pivotally mounted at the rear, as shown in Fig. l, and these bars have operating-keys 26, which being depressed allow of the forward movement of the spacing rack and carriage a distance dependent upon which of these keys is depressed.

In ordertoproduceacumulative movement, so as to provide for the plurality of spaces, each of the rods 32 has upon it an adjustable ing 27. Thus when the first one is pulled down it releases the shoulder 24 of the slidable rack-bar and allows for a movement thereof, as above described, to advance the carriage two spaces. When the second key is depressed, it by reason of the overlapping lug 27 pulls down the first one, and thus allows the rack-bar to advance the space controlled by the two, the third, fourth, &c., in the same manner.

The depression-keys 26 are returned to their position by suitable springs 28, which are here shown as acting against the rods 25, and other springs 28 are shown pressing against adjusting-nuts 29 on the correspondinglythreaded rods 32, which connect with the stops, so that the tension of the springs may be varied by moving these nuts. Each of the keys which operate the type carrying a complete word or more than one letter also acts upon one of the rods 25 by means of bars 30, connected directly with the rods 25 and having upwardly-projecting arms 31 standing in line beneath the key-levers, so that the depression of the key-lever acting through its arm 31 will depress the corresponding rod 25 and through it will act upon the rod 32, which actuates a latch or stop 23.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a writing-machine, of type-bodies having a line of letters formed thereon, key-levers and a connection for operating the same, a spacing mechanism, and means including a spacingrack, movable stops in the path thereof and key-levers connected with the stops for withdrawing them out of the path of the rack to permit the latter to move a distance corresponding with the number of stops withdrawn.

2. In a type-writing machine, type-bodies having complete words formed thereon, keylevers and connections by which said words may be imprinted at a single stroke, and spacing mechanism including a spacing rack, means for operating it, movable stops in the path of the rack and independent key-levers for actuating the stops and withdrawing them from the path of movementof the rack whereby the earriage is advanced a distance corresponding with the number of letters in the word printed at a single movement.

3. In a type-writer, type-bodies having a plurality of complete words, means whereby either of the words may be imprinted by a single key-stroke, a supplemental spacingraek and connections between it and the carriage and including depressible stops disposed in the path of movement of the rack and independent key levers connected with the stops whereby said carriage is advanced after the imprinting of the complete word, a distance corresponding with the number of letters in said word, and said carriage advanced to a position ready for the next letter or charaeter.

4. In a type-writer, type-bodies having single letters or characters and other bodies having entire words, a mechanism whereby said characters or words are each imprinted by single key-strokes, a rack and spacing bar by which the carriage is advanced a single space at each depression of the spacing-bar, a supplemental rack, a ratchet mounted upon the pinion-shaft of the main spacing-rack, shifting mechanism by which the supplemental rack-bar is thrown into engagement with the ratchet, movable stops engaging the rack whereby said rack controls the movement of the pinion-shaft to permitadvance of the main spacing-rack a distance of two or more spaces by a single depression of the controlling-key.

5. In a type-writing machine, type-bodies having complete words, mechanism by which they are moved and the entire word imprinted by a single depression of the key, mechanism for advancing the carriage a distance corresponding with the number of letters imprinted at a single impression, consisting of a ratchet-wheel, a supplemental rack-bar engaging the teeth of the ratchet, controllingkeys acting singly or in unison, and stops engaging the supplemental rack-bar and movable by said keys whereby the bar is released and allowed to advance by the turning of the ratchet a distance equal to two or more spaces at one depression of the key.

6. In a type-writing machine, type-bodies having words consisting of a plurality of letters or characters and keys by which said words are imprinted at a single stroke, mechanism for advancing the carriage of the machine a distance equal to the number of letters or characters thus imprinted, consisting of a ratchet-wheel turnable with the pinionshaft of the main spacing rack-bar, a supplemental rack-bar adapted to engage the teeth of said pinion, a housing in which said rackbar is slidable, and mechanism by which said housing is moved transversely so that the ratchet-wheel may be thrown into or out of engagement with its rack-bar.

7. In a type-writing machine, and in combination with type-bodies having a plurality of letters or characters formed thereon, and mechanism by which the whole is imprinted by a single stroke of a key, means for advancing the carriage a distance equal to the number of characters thus imprinted, consisting of a ratchet-wheel mounted upon the pinionshaft of the main spacing-rack, a supplemental rack engaging said wheel, a shoulder upon said rack and stops mounted upon movable rods adapted to engage said shoulder, keys and connections between the keys and the rods whereby one or more of the stops may be disengaged from the rack-bar and the latter allowed to be moved by the pinion-shaft a distance equal to the numberol. spaces required.

8. In a type-writing machine, type-bodies having a plurality of letters or characters formed thereon and mechanism by which the whole isimprinted by asingle stroke of a key, means for advancing the carriage a distance equal to the number of characters thus imprinted consisting of a ratchet-wheel mounted upon the pinion-shaft of the main spacing-rack, a supplemental rack engaging said wheel, a housing in which said rack is slidable having holding teeth upon one side, mechanism by which the housing is transversely movable to engage said teeth with the ratchet-wheel, or to allow the ratchet to engage the teeth of the supplemental rack-bar, a shoulder upon said rack-bar and stops in line therewith, independent depressionkeys and levers actuated thereby and connections between said levers and the stops whereby one or more of said stops may be withdrawn to allow the rack-bar to move and the carriage to advance a number of spaces corresponding with the number of stops withdrawn.

9. In a type-writing machine, type-bodies having a plurality of letters or characters formed thereon, a mechanism by which the whole is'imprinted by a single stroke of a key, a ratchet-wheel mounted upon the pinionshaft of the main spacing-rack, a supplemental rack-bar, a housing in which said rack-bar is slidable, said housing having fixed teeth upon one side and parallel with those of the rack-bar, mechanism by which the housing is moved transversely to engage the fixed teeth with the ratchet-Wheel or to allow the latter to engage the teeth of the rack-bar, a shoulder upon said rack-bar, stops disposed in line with said shoulder, independent depression-keys and levers actuated thereby, rods connecting said levers with each of the stops and lugs by which said rods are successivel'y engaged so that one or a plurality of the stops may be withdrawn by the depression of a single key, and the rack-bar and carriage allowed to move a corresponding number of spaces.

10. In a type-writing machine, type-bodies having a plurality of letters or characters formed thereon, and mechanism by which the whole is imprinted bya single stroke of a key, means for advancing the carriage a distance equal to the number of characters thus imprinted and the following space, consisting of a ratchet-wheel mounted upon the pinionshaft of the main spacing-rack, a supple mental rack slidable in a housing, said housing having fixed teeth upon one side, mechanism by which the housing is moved transversely to engage the fixed teeth with the ratchet-wheel, or to allow the latter to engage the teeth of the slidable rack, a shoulder formed on said rack, stops standing in line to engage said shoulder, independent depression-keys, levers actuated thereby and rods connecting said levers with the stops whereby one or more of the stops may be withdrawn to allow a correspondingincrease of movement of the rack-bar and consequent advance of the carriage, bars fixed to and movable with the stop-levers, having upwardly-projecting arms in line with the keylevers by which the types are actuated,whereby the depression of the key will also act to depress corresponding stops and allow the carriage to advance a distance equivalent to the number of spaces required.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN F. AMES.

Witnesses:

II. B. TRONSON, I. O. CLODFELTER. 

